I'm a PRO at XML, maybe I can fix those non-standard RSS feeds Valve uses for their sites.

XML is just a way to store data, it's not a programming language. It's very similar to the format Valve uses for storing data (I think it's officially called VDF for Valve Data Format, but I'm not entirely sure). For instance, the item schema and sound scripts use that format. Even VMT is a slight variation of that format. In the end it's just a small database with named entries that you can modify. You are good at modifying the item schema because Valve had the common sense to make the data human readable so people can guess which value does what.

So yeah, just wanted to point that out. As someone who regularly codes Lua and C++ and wrote a piece of code that parses and emulates the TF2 item schema, I find it slightly presomptuous that you call yourself a developer because you can change entries in a database. That's not programming, that's more or less database management. Now maybe Valve needs someone like that, so I wish you good luck.

Also I'm fairly sure all decent programmers will agree that ActionScript is a terrible, terrible language. You should really consider learning C++ or Java, they are actually quite different.

I think ned and sharc are pretty optimistic to apply to work at Valve, not that i don't wish them all the best but I know a few people who imo would have alot more to contribute to the company and they barely got looked at.

Oh and I think ned's idea of making the social networks intergration/connectivity more useful is great and would see no reason why anyone would be against an optional thing like that. Being able to tweet 'Anon is playing teamfortress2 'link to join'' would be nice

Oh and I think ned's idea of making the social networks intergration/connectivity more useful is great and would see no reason why anyone would be against an optional thing like that. Being able to tweet 'Anon is playing teamfortress2 'link to join'' would be nice

I dunno, I think social network integration is a massive gimmick. But that's coming from someone who thinks social networks in general are a massive gimmick so I don't think my opinion counts on that matter.

I dunno, I think social network integration is a massive gimmick. But that's coming from someone who thinks social networks in general are a massive gimmick so I don't think my opinion counts on that matter.

I dunno, I think social network integration is a massive gimmick. But that's coming from someone who thinks social networks in general are a massive gimmick so I don't think my opinion counts on that matter.

Steamcommunity is technically a social network vv
Social network intergration is a neat thing so long as it's not forced, which is why the summer/winter achievements for linking facebook annoyed me so, and why the extended friendslist for those with facebook linked still annoys me.

I dunno, I think social network integration is a massive gimmick. But that's coming from someone who thinks social networks in general are a massive gimmick so I don't think my opinion counts on that matter.

I really, really dislike when social network crap is tied into things. The only social networking I'm into is the Steam Community and some Twitter. I don't really touch my Facebook account. Ever. Except like... when I need to enter contests for free games and crap. And that's only a log-in, 2 clicks, and 10 words.

Then again, some might call me a recluse. Not me, though. I'd call myself a mecluse. It's not that I can't stand other people. I can't stand myself when I'm around other people.

XML is just a way to store data, it's not a programming language. It's very similar to the format Valve uses for storing data (I think it's officially called VDF for Valve Data Format, but I'm not entirely sure). For instance, the item schema and sound scripts use that format. Even VMT is a slight variation of that format. In the end it's just a small database with named entries that you can modify. You are good at modifying the item schema because Valve had the common sense to make the data human readable so people can guess which value does what.

So yeah, just wanted to point that out. As someone who regularly codes Lua and C++ and wrote a piece of code that parses and emulates the TF2 item schema, I find it slightly presomptuous that you call yourself a developer because you can change entries in a database. That's not programming, that's more or less database management. Now maybe Valve needs someone like that, so I wish you good luck.

Also I'm fairly sure all decent programmers will agree that ActionScript is a terrible, terrible language. You should really consider learning C++ or Java, they are actually quite different.

in actionscript you can straight code in XML, using it more like HTML to make layouts.

It's incredibly light weight, so it works better than making everything on an FLA and adding it to the display list. It's mostly a trick mobile developers (like myself) use to still use our lazy Flash skills to make nice mobile apps that don't lag. It also requires a custom library of open source code, so it's not terribly standard.

I'm an... interesting developer. I'm not really technically savvy, but I can code well in the languages I have picked up. I tend to sell myself kind of short, I do also known Obj-C, Python and a bit of C#, I just push AS because I've spent years on it and will have a degree in media development in a month.

As far as XML is concerned I have no idea what Valve is doing. I put their RSS feeds into readers I know worked, and they crash. Every time, every reader. I think they use non-standard language or something, but either way, apparently RSS is dead and JSON is taking over, but it's so similar parsing wise, who cares.

What I would offer to Valve is ideas about broadening their community. They have this gigantic community of fans (sometimes a little too loyal) and they kind of don't interact with them at all. They also don't make this interaction between people in the community obvious, as you have die hard TF2 fans on some message boards that haven't seen any workshop submissions, you have fans who know other people who play TF2 irl but they don't know it. You have a wide variety of very different content creators across dozens of message boards that don't know eachother, and don't see the final project until it's submitted, and sometimes, until it's too late.

What I would want to bring to Valve would be more openness with the community, a person who would go out, foster relationships with fans, content creators, map artists, etc. I would aim to help develop products and ideas to bring players together, to unite the community, or, at least let the community know more about each other.

Imagine a tab on the blog, "Community" with someone going and finding great posts, great concepts, great work done here, SPUF, Polycount, TF2Maps, etc and putting it on the blog, letting thousands see the content, rather than the handful of regulars that go to each board.

Further, I have an amazing working knowledge of every bug, nitpick detail, and problem with the games Valve ships (mostly, TF2, but I do follow L4D2 a lot also). Something that bothers me, generally also bothers someone else. Take L4D2. The Golf Club weapon, it appears on one map, fairly rarely. Why? Why is this weapon so rare for the player to see, when Fire Axes dot pretty much every map. It's a simple fix, and the classic maps are sitting there just asking for new melees. I think the Golf Club would fit very well on Dead Air, why isn't it on that map, why is the Golf Club stuck on one campaign, and doesn't even show up in another campaign that takes place in exactly the same place?

It's these little nitpicky nothings Valve is infamous for ignoring, even with the Steam platform itself. Valve is a company of big ideas, and sometimes they need someone who can sit down and fix some of the problems always having big ideas causes.

Perfect! This means if I plan on composing a beautiful love letter to go along with my email submission and send it to them first thing on Monday, it will COMPLETELY INSURE some sort of major update to begin on the very same day so as to more efficiently bury my correspondence in a sea of more important priorities!

Not true, if you can code in Actionscript you can code in Javascript, because they're both ECMAScript derivatives. Java is unrelated.

After learning Java in college I was able to jump right into programming AS3. They're almost identical syntax-wise. I wasn't saying they were the same, just experience in one makes the other much easier to learn